If you follow along, you know I am working on two novels right now. The first I began years ago as my thesis project for my masters in writing at USC. It’s actually not too far from done, but at the beginning of the summer I stuck it in a drawer just to take a break from it and get a little perspective (as per the advice of super-writer Mark Sarvas).
Starting the Second Novel
While I was waiting for that perspective, I started working on the first draft of my second novel. This is the book I’ve always wanted to write. I am super excited about it. But it’s a much more challenging story. While the first novel (the one I affectionately refer to as “the ostrich story”) is a fairly simple story about the family drama that ensues after my main character inherits an ostrich farm, the second novel (title TBD), is non-linear, research-heavy story with multiple perspectives. I am so proud of myself for recognizing that this second novel was too much for a debut effort.
The Final Ten Percent
I have learned so much as I have worked toward finishing this first novel. So much, in fact, that I like to tell myself I’ve got this. I know how to write a book. But the truth is, I don’t really. I know how to get a novel about 90% done. What I’m learning now is how challenging that final ten percent can be.
Seeing it Through to “The End”
What I’m coming up against are the things I’ve been avoiding, telling myself I would add them at some later point. Well that later point is now. It’s time. It’s time to nail down the theme and layer it into the entire novel. It’s time to dive into the well of my own family dramas that inform the deep underpinnings of how my characters react to each other. It’s time to cut that one character that I’ve been allowing to hang around for far too long.
This final ten percent is much harder than a first draft. I find that I can concoct just about any reason to not be editing. It is requiring an enormous amount of discipline. But I can do this. One hour a day, one day at a time. I’ll get there.
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